Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (AJMS)
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (AJMS) ISSN: 2321-8819 (Online) Asian Journal of 2348-7186 (Print) Impact Factor: 0.92 Multidisciplinary Studies Volume 3, Issue 2, Feb. 2015 Geochemistry of Mesoproterozoic metadolerite dykes and sills of Shillong basin, Meghalaya, NE India K.P. Sarma*, J.J. Laskar, Niva Rani Devi, Nandita Mazumdar, J. Mallikharjuna Rao and M. Venkateshwarlu 1Professor – (Rtd.), Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati – 781014, India. 2Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati – 781014, India. 3Assistant Professor, Arya Vidyapeeth College, Guwahati 781016, India. 4Research Scholar, Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati – 781014, India. 5Retired Scientist, National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 606, India 6Scientist E, National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 606, India. Abstract The Shillong Basin is the only Proterozoic (Purana) basin of NE India and is an intracratonic sag basin in nature. The basin is dominantly exposed in Meghalaya and partly in Karbi Anglong district of Assam and confined in the central and eastern parts of the Shillong plateau. This Proterozoic basin was developed during early Mesoproterozoic time. The metasedimentary rock associations of this basin are classified under Lower Metapelitic and Upper Quartzitic Formations closely associated with mafic magmatism in the form of mafic sills and dykes (metadolerite, locally named as Khasi greenstone). They are metamorphosed under greenschist – amphibolite transitional facies. The present study aims at generating geochemical characteristics of the metadolerites of the basin. Mafic dykes and sills of the basement of the Shillong plateau is of Cretaceous age and excluded from the present study. Geochemically, metadolerites are subalkaline and tholeiitic in nature and emplaced in continental setting. Geochemical data, mantle normalized spidergram and chondrite normalized REE patterns suggest that they are genetically related and probably derived from the same parental source magma undergoing shallow level fractionation. Keywords: Shillong Plateau, Shillong basin, Dolerite dykes and sills, Geochemistry. Introduction evidences for distinct episodes of crust generation. Mafic dykes and sills occur in a wide variety of The chemical composition of mafic dykes and sills geological tectonic settings and their study provides provides clues to their crustal emplacement insights into geological events and continental conditions that maybe related to the prevalent breakups which ultimately help in reconstruction of tectonic stress regimes. The Shillong plateau has continents. Petrology and geochemistry of mafic played a vital role in the Precambrian history of the magmatic bodies document origin, emplacement and Indian plate and in particular northeast Indian region. growth of continental crust and provide vital The magmatic history and mafic emplacements of Fig.1 Generalised geological map of Shillong basin showing the location of metadolerites Available online at www.ajms.co.in 37 Geochemistry of Mesoproterozoic metadolerite dykes and sills of Shillong basin, Meghalaya, NE India. the Shillong plateau are important as the plateau al., 1994). Yin et al. (2010) have established three forms the northeastern margin of Indian Peninsula episodes of igneous activity at 1600 Ma, 1100 Ma and records evidence of the evolving plate boundary. and 500 Ma witnessed in the rocks of the Shillong The mafic dykes and sills in Shillong basin, an plateau. The first episode of igneous activity at 1600 intracratonic rift related sag basin of Ma is related to the collision of two proto India Mesoproterozoic age, are metadolerites (named as continents and the ductile phase that took place at Khasi greenstone by Medlicott, 1869). They are 1100 Ma under contractional mechanism induced by metamorphosed along with arenaceous and assembly of Rodinia and Eastern Gondwana. This argillaceous sediments under greenschist – finding is correlatable with the findings of Chatterjee amphibolite transitional facies (Turner, 1968). These et al. (2006) who have presented monazite date from dykes were not given much attention as compared to Goalpara and Sonapahar area as 1596±15 Ma and other mafic dykes of Indian subcontinent. Some 570± 14 Ma. Bidyananda and Deomurari (2007) sporadic works on geochemistry and have given 1.5 to 2.6 Ga dates from basement palaeomagnetism have been done by Hazara et al. gneisses. However, Chatterjee et al. (op. cit) have (2008), Mallikharjuna Rao et al. (2009), Ray et al. arguably claimed that there is no Archean rock in the (2013), Sarma et al. (2014). But the present study Shillong plateau. aims at generating geochemical data, petrographic The lithoassociations of the Shillong basin information and interpretation of origin of these constituting Shillong group (earlier Shillong series of Proterozoic Metadolerite dykes and sills of the Medlicott, 1869), is classified under two formations, Shillong Basin which is an intracratonic Purana basin namely Lower Metapelitic Formation (LMF) and of the Shillong plateau and to demonstrate important Upper Quartzitic Formation (UQF). The UQF was features of their emplacement history and source named as “Mawphlang Formation” or Shillong material. Formation (Ahmed, 1981; Barooah and Goswami, Regional geological setting 1972), whereas LMF is known as Manai Formation Shillong plateau represents a detached part by Bhattacharjee and Rahman, (1985) or Tyrsad of the Indian sub continental craton. The E-W Formation by Barooah and Goswami (1972), trending Shillong plateau is an elevated block about Barapani Formation by (Ahmed, 1981). The LMF are 600-800m above Bangladesh plain and marked by quartz – mica schist, quartz– sericite geomorphologically appears as an inverted spoon schist, biotite- sericite schist and biotite schist. The shaped structure (Duarah and Phukon, 2011). The UQF representing the upper sequence of the Shillong uplift is related to collision of Indian and Tibetan basin are of massive to more micaceous types plates during Cenozoic time (Johnson and Alam, showing primary cross stratifications and ripple 1991; Nandi, 2000 and Bilham and England, 2001). marks. They are often intercalated with thinly The plateau is bounded to the north by Brahamaputra bedded metapelites and at the contact of lineament, to the south by Dauki fault, Indo Neoproterozoic granite, contact metamorphic Myanmar Mobile Belt (IMMB) to the east and rocks (hornfelse) are observed with well developed Dhubri – Yamuna lineament to the west and is andalusite crystals. tectonically separated by Garo-Rajmahal graben Metadolerites (Khasi greenstone of from Peninsular India (Eremenco et al., 1969). It Medlicott, 1869) occur as green coloured dykes, sills constitutes the leading edge of the Indian plate or isolated linear to curvilinear bodies.They often during its oblique collision with the Australo- occur as angular rafts, fragments and subrounded Antarctic plate at ca. 500-650 Ma (Chatterjee et al., xenolithic bodies within the younger granites. They 2006). The plateau is criss crossed by numerous are compact, medium grained and rarely coarse lineaments in NE-SW, N-S and EW sdirections grained and it exhibits spheroidal blocks due to (Chattopdhyaya and Hashmi, 1984). Further, a NW- weathering. Two types of mafic bodies – massive SE tectonic Kopili lineament dissects the plateau into and foliated, from type area Leitkroh in East Khasi two blocks namely Meghalaya massif and Mikir Hills district are found (Hazara et al., 2008). Both the massif (renamed as Karbi Anglong massif by Sarma types are essentially enclosed within Upper and Dey, 1996). Quartzitic Formation of Shillong Group. But a The Shillong plateau portrays a classic notable factor is observed that the foliated type is example of basement – cover relationship where essentially enclosed within the lower metapelitic Shillong Group (SG) acts as cover and basement by formation and massive type is confined within upper Basement Gneissic Group (BGG). The BGG quartzitic formation, the latter is marginally altered comprises of metamorphites including and affected by low grade metamorphism, central quartzofeldspathic gneisses, migmatites, part being still massive. amphibolites, calc-granulites, calc-silicate rocks, The Shillong Group of metasediments has high grade schist, basic and acid intrusives been dated as 1530 – 1550 Ma (Mitra, 1998) and 1.4 andpegmatites. They are metamorphosed under to 1.9 Ga (zircon dates of metasedimentary granulite - amphibolite transitional facies. The quartzites by Bidyananda and Deomurari, 2007). granite gneiss of BGG from Patharkhang area of Neoproterozoic granites were intruded into the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, is dated as Shillong basin (e.g. Mylliem pluton, Kyrdem pluton Paleoproterozoic age (Hazara et al., 2008; Ghosh et and South Khasi pluton), which have been dated as Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(2) February, 2015 38 Geochemistry of Mesoproterozoic metadolerite dykes and sills of Shillong basin, Meghalaya, NE India. 607±10 Ma (Crawford, 1969); 885 – 80 Ma (Ghosh appearance clearly indicate that there are two types et al., 1991, 1994 and Bhattacharyya and Ray of mafic bodies such as foliated and massive types Barman, 1998) andthey form another Formation and it is supported by petrographic features.